In what year was Independence Day released?

Independence Day was released in 1996.

The science-fiction action film depicts a worldwide battle after technologically advanced extraterrestrials attack Earth. Roland Emmerich directed the movie and co-wrote it with Dean Devlin. Its release was timed around the United States Independence Day holiday, which also supplied the title and became part of the film’s marketing identity.

The movie opened in the United States on July 3, 1996, ahead of the July 4 holiday. It became one of the year’s biggest box-office successes and helped establish Will Smith as a major movie star. The ensemble cast also included Jeff Goldblum, Bill Pullman, Mary McDonnell, and Randy Quaid.

Independence Day is sometimes confused with its sequel, Independence Day: Resurgence, which arrived in 2016. The original film is the 1996 production and is separate from later alien-invasion movies such as Mars Attacks! and War of the Worlds.